He who knows....

"He who knows others is clever;
He who knows himself has discernment.

He who overcomes others has force;
He who overcomes himself is strong.

He who knows contentment is rich;
He who perseveres is a man of purpose.

He who does not lose his station will endure;
He who lives out his days has had a long life."

- Tao Te Ching


Is it the meaning behind an action that matters or does the end justify the means?

More and more I think both, action and reason, are equally important. However, it seems that the right reasons will produce the right action. Otherwise it seems as if one believes to know the end of a story before ever reading a word.


-Peace

Beliefs

"You can't discuss the Way with a cramped scholar - he's shackled by his doctrines"
- Chuang Tzu


We are limited by the beliefs of others that we accept as true.


Truth won't be found in the words of other.. it only comes from within.

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Ishmael Part 1

I don't know if I'm the only one, but when I decide to read, I'll pick up three or four books.. start reading each and see what one sticks.

So Ishmael stuck. I've read this book before, but it had been years and it just seemed time again.

I've just completed part 1 and it has left off with the beginning of the discussion on captivity.


Here's a blurb...



"The world is not going to survive for very much longer as humanity's captive. Does that need explication?" (Ishmael)

"No. At least not to me" (narrator)

"I think there are many among you who would be glad to release the world from captivity" (Ishmael)

"I don't know" (narrator)

"This is what prevents them: They're unable to find the bars of the cage." (Ishmael)

"Yes," I said. "I see." Then: "What do we do next?"

Ishmael smiled again.

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How much can we possibly know?

When we think of nothing.
We will notice everything...

If we try and notice everything.
We will think of nothing...

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That Great Unknown

"How do I know that loving life is not a delusion? How do I know that in hating death I am not like a man who, having left home in his youth, has forgotten the way back?"

"Lady Li was the daughter of the border guard of Ai. When she was first taken captive and brought to the state of Chin, she wept until her tears drenched the collar of her robe. But later, when she went to live in the palace of the ruler, shared his couch with him, and ate the delicious meats of his table, he wondered why she had ever wept."

"How do I know that the dead do not wonder why they ever longed for Life?"

- Chuang Tzu, Basic Writings

Who am I?

So I've had this reoccurring thought over the past couple of years....

This all started in the fall of 2005 while I was taking a Philosophy of Language class. I started thinking about my bilingual friend who once told me that he "thinks" in spanish (his native language). I had never thought about it before but I would have to say that I think english. One may think that this of no interest of consequence but I don't think so. So many times in different classes I ran into occasions where the teacher or even the book pointed out that the words that I'm reading were in fact not accurately translated. WHAT? Seriously. Does this mean that the words I'm reading don't actually convey the meaning intended by the author? Is it just the best translation could provide? How useful is this?

There are words of which I have no knowledge or comprehension. Does this limit the thoughts and types of thoughts that I have? Am I incapable of having the same thoughts as someone who speaks a different language? Logically that seems true. How could this be?

Am I limited by the language I hold? In all reality this doesn't surprise me at all. We all have our special filters through which we see ourselves and the world. Why would it surprise me that I'm incapable of having the same thoughts as someone who speaks a different language? I am incapable of sharing thoughts with someone who speaks the same language!

To me it seems that the purest form of experience comes as an infant. There is no basis of comparison for a baby. No old experiences for new ones to measure up too. It is experience at its best. From then on, however, we learn to "compartmentalize" our thoughts and experiences. We do this through our parents, language, society, peers and everything else at the same time. This is how we limit ourselves.

So how can I know what the truth is when I can't see anything clearly? I view life through my filter. How can I even know who I am? I see myself through the same psychological mess that I see the rest world.

So, yes, our thoughts and comprehension is limited... but we are all capable of the unlimited. We just have to see.

Only when the filter is gone can we see anything for what it is....